Overwhelmed? The Emotional Guidance Scale Can Help
Let’s get something straight right off the top:
You’re not too sensitive. You’re not broken. You’re not lazy.
You’re emotionally full.
And if you’ve been watching my Taming Overwhelm series on TikTok, you already know—overwhelm isn’t always about your to-do list. It’s about your internal traffic jam. A swirling backlog of feelings, thoughts, and energetic clutter with nowhere to go.
Sometimes you shut down.
Sometimes you snap.
Sometimes you scroll your way into a dopamine hangover wondering why you still feel like sh*t.
This is not a moral failing.
It’s your nervous system asking for help.
And one of the simplest ways I’ve found to answer that call?
A vibrational tool that has changed the way I think about emotions entirely:
The Emotional Guidance Scale.
Abraham-Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale
So What Is the Emotional Guidance Scale?
It’s a map. A vibrational one.
Developed by Abraham-Hicks, the Emotional Guidance Scale lays out 22 core emotional states—from high-vibe expansion all the way down to soul-level contraction.
Not “good” or “bad.” Just faster or slower.
Lighter or heavier.
Closer to alignment, or a few exits past it.
Here’s the quick version:
Joy / Empowerment / Freedom / Love
Passion
Enthusiasm / Eagerness / Happiness
Positive Expectation
Optimism
Hopefulness
Contentment
Boredom
Pessimism
Frustration/Irritation/Impatience
Overwhelment (feeling overwhelmed)
Disappointment
Doubt
Worry
Blame
Discouragement
Anger
Revenge
Hatred/Rage
Jealousy
Insecurity/Guilt/Unworthiness
Fear/Grief/Desperation/Despair/Powerlessness
Take a moment with each of these emotions. How does it make you feel? In your heart? Your mind? Your body? Soul?
Now let’s layer in the energetics:
Each of these emotional states carries a unique vibrational frequency.
Emotions like love and joy? They hum high and fast—like a tuning fork in your chest.
Despair or powerlessness? They move like molasses. Slow, dense, heavy.
Which means when you feel overwhelmed, you’re not wrong.
You’re just vibrating in a space your system can’t hold for long.
Why This Matters for Overwhelm
Most of us don’t realize when we’ve slipped into the lower rungs of the scale.
We say “I’m fine” when we’re hovering at a 15 (blame).
We muscle through work at an 18 (revenge) or a 20 (jealousy) and wonder why our body feels like a brick.
Here’s the thing:
When you don’t have language for your emotion, you can’t move it.
And when you can’t move it? It gets louder. Heavier. Stickier.
The scale gives you a way to name where you are without judgment—and that, my friend, is step one to getting out of emotional gridlock.
The Surprising Power of Boredom (#8)
Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood spots on the scale: Boredom.
Right at #8, it’s the energetic hinge point.
Everything below boredom moves slower.
Everything above it, faster and freer.
And guess what?
Boredom isn’t a problem. It’s a portal.
In Taming Overwhelm Part 2, I talk about how we avoid stillness at all costs—distracting ourselves with noise, content, obligations, even productivity.
But boredom?
It’s the pause that lets your soul catch up.
The white space where clarity can land.
The moment before a creative idea drops in and changes everything.
Next time boredom shows up, don’t fill it.
Feel it.
→ Watch the wind.
→ Let your mind wander.
→ Stare at a flower.
→ Ask yourself: What’s wanting to emerge right now?
Because when you stop shoving your boredom away, it starts showing you what’s next.
What to Do with Emotional Overwhelm
Let’s get practical.
When your system is full and you can’t think straight—this is how you bring yourself back online:
1. Use the scale like a GPS.
Pause.
Ask yourself: What am I actually feeling?
Match it to a number.
Don’t judge it—just witness it.
Then ask: What’s one small thing I could do to shift one level higher?
You don’t need to leap from despair to joy.
Just move from #14 (worry) to #13 (doubt).
From #10 (frustration) to #9 (pessimism).
Small moves. Big shifts.
2. Track your emotional patterns.
Want to really see what’s going on beneath your habits and reactions?
Try this for a week:
Save a screenshot of the scale to your phone
Create a note called “Emotions Log”
Every time you feel something strong, jot down the emotion, the number, the time
After 7 days, add up your numbers and divide by 7
That’s your emotional average baseline, and now we know where we can begin elevating.
Is it perfect? No.
Is it powerful? Hell yes.
Because once you start tracking your emotional frequency, you stop guessing—and start leading yourself.
Final Thought
You’re not here to numb your way through life.
You’re here to feel it all—and stay awake inside it.
And when you can learn to tune in to your emotional frequency without judgment?
You become the one driving—not the one getting dragged.
So next time the world feels like too much and you catch yourself reaching for the next distraction, remember this:
Overwhelm is real.
But so is your power to recalibrate.
And the scale is just one way home.
If you’re interested in diving deep in order to elevate your emotional intelligence (EQ), my Emotional Alchemy I: A Beautiful Relationship with Me, Myself & I is the best next step for you. Learn more here.